


one for each night, they shed a sweet light

by jasonsbarmitzvah (jemscarter)



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-14 02:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12997938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jemscarter/pseuds/jasonsbarmitzvah
Summary: So it's 1979 and Hanukkah has arrived: Mendel and Trina are newlyweds, Marvin is lonely, Whizzer has a realization, Jason gets a surprise, Charlotte is stuck at work, and Cordelia's on a mission.





	1. come light the menorah (Mendel)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my fic for 8 Days of Falsettos. It's the first fic I've posted in a while, so please go easy. Title and chapter titles come from the song "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night 1: Mendel and Trina celebrate their first Hanukkah as a married couple.

When the morning of the first night of Hanukkah came around Mendel had already gotten his gifts, but had yet to discuss with Trina how the first Hanukkah of their marriage would be celebrated.  He knows he should have discussed it earlier with Trina, he _knows_ this, but he was nervous about messing up any plans she might have had for their first Hanukkah together, and any traditions she might have had with Jason (and Marvin for that matter).  Since the first night was on a Friday though Jason would be with Marvin, leaving Mendel and Trina alone for the first Hanukkah of their marriage. Friday was here though and Mendel could no longer avoid the issue.  
  
“So, Trina, as you know it’s almost Hanukkah, and I was thinking, well, I was wondering, what should we do to celebrate?”  
  
Trina slowly set down her coffee mug and looked across the breakfast table at Mendel.  
  
“Hanukkah starts tonight honey.”  
  
“I know, that’s why I thought we should discuss it, if you don’t want to celebrate then-”  
  
“The potatoes for the latkes have been shredded for days, I already sent your suit to the cleaners for your mother’s party tomorrow, and I dug through the cabinets to find the menorah yesterday, of course we’re celebrating.”  
  
“But, you know it’s our first holiday together, and I didn’t want to mess up any traditions you might have or-“  
  
Here Trina barked out a laugh, “You mean Marvin’s tradition of coming home with a coupon for the nail salon around the corner every year?”  
  
“Right,” Mendel laughed nervously.  
  
“Mendel, honey,” Trina said sweetly, leaning across the table to grab his hand, “I’m looking forward to just spending the evening with you.  We’ll light the candles, say the prayers, exchange gifts, and have a nice dinner.  We can worry about the traditions and all that when Jason is here on Sunday night.”  
  
Mendel let out a breath of relief, “That sounds nice.”  
  
“Yes it does,” Trina affirmed, leaning across the table to peck Mendel on the lips.  
  
“Do you have to do that at the table? We eat there.” Jason interjected, stopping at the door to the kitchen with his backpack and overnight bag.  
  
Mendel jumped up at Jason’s entrance and grabbed his briefcase and car keys, “Ready for school kiddo?”  
  
“Jason take some breakfast with you, and have a nice time at your dad’s this weekend, I’ll see you on Sunday, ok?”  
  
“Okay,” Jason called out on his way out the door.  
  
“And Mendel, can you pick up your suit from the cleaners on your way home?”  
  
“Of course, I’ll see you later, I love you,” Mendel said, kissing Trina quickly one last time as he followed Jason out the door for the day.

* * *

  
That night Mendel arrived home to the smell of brisket.  
  
“It smells incredible in here.”  
  
“It took me all day.”  
  
“Trina you didn’t have to-“  
  
“I wanted to, it’s the holidays. Ready to light the candles?”  
  
Trina grabbed the lighter as Mendel readied the menorah and the two lit the _Shamash_ , then the first candle and the Shabbat candles before finishing with the prayers.  
  
“I have your gift!” Trina said, going over to the linen closet and coming back with a large wrapped box.  
  
“You didn’t have to get me anything Trina, life with you and Jason it’s all I could ask for.  This year has been enough of a gift.”  
  
Trina smiled at her husband with a soft look in her eyes, an expression her face had only just begun to re-discover after almost a decade of being hidden away.  
  
“That was incredibly cheesy, I’m sorry, I’m just going to go get your gift,” Mendel rambled nervously, stumbling to his office and grabbing a small box for Trina before turning to open his present.  
  
Mendel couldn’t stop staring at the wedding photos Trina had gotten framed for them to hang in their house — a large one of the two of them staring at each other, and one of the two of them with Jason grinning into the camera.  
  
“I didn’t think the photos were ready yet,” Mendel said breathlessly.  
  
“I wanted to surprise you.”  
  
“They’re gorgeous. That was the best day of my life.”  
  
“I got smaller copies for your office too.”  
  
“Do you like your gift?”  
  
Trina stared down at the mezuzah in her hands.  When they moved they had taken the mezuzah from Trina and Marvin’s old house, since it had been a gift from Trina’s parents.  Eight months later and the mezuzah taunted Trina every time she came in the door with the past marriage it symbolized.  
  
“I love it,” Trina said, “It’s absolutely stunning.”  
  
“I know the old one was a gift from your parents but-“  
  
“It was a gift for a marriage that is over, I think they’ll understand.”  
  
Mendel smiled, “Good, I think they’re just starting to like me.”  
  
“They love you,” Trina cut in automatically, and then went back to staring at the mezuzah in her hands, “How did you know I wanted a new one?”  
  
“Just a feeling. Plus you kept staring at the old one like it had insulted you somehow.”  
  
“Well it’s perfect, thank you.”  
  
“Happy Hanukkah Trina, I love you.”  
  
“I love you too Mendel, happy Hanukkah, and to many more.”  
  
With that the two set their gifts aside and cuddled up on the couch to watch TV, and Mendel couldn’t think of a better way to spend the first Hanukkah of many in his new life with Trina.  


	2. let's have a party (Trina)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night 2: Trina and Mendel get ready for the Weisenbachfeld Family Holiday Party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it hint of implied sexual content.

Trina was absolutely dreading the Weisenbachfeld Hanukkah party. She knew that Mendel’s parents liked her well enough, but also that they were slightly skeptical of their son marrying a divorcée and they treated her accordingly. Additionally, Mendel had three older brothers, meaning that Trina had to deal with them and their wives and multiple children. And of course there would be questions about where Jason was, as Mendel’s mother had already called twice that day to ensure that Jason didn’t want to come, seemingly not understanding that he was at his father’s for the weekend and not just sitting home petulantly refusing to join them.

“She always goes all out for Hanukkah,” Mendel began as Trina got ready, “She claims it’s for the grandkids, which is all nonsense of course, she just wants to compete with the neighbors’ Christmas decorations. I mean, she knows Hanukkah is just something that corporations make a big deal of to have something to sell Jews during Christmas, right?”

Trina hummed her agreement as she carefully applied her makeup, trying to look _farpitzs_ without crossing the line to ‘divorced harlot.’

“I’m glad you’ll be there this year,” Mendel continued, “At least that way I won’t be the odd man out without the kids or the wife.” “

We’re not bringing any kids Mendel,” Trina reminded him lightly.

“Well of course not, but Jason still exists, we can talk about him and how skilled he is at chess and how much he enjoys school.”

“He doesn’t enjoy school.”

“Well no, but Moshe’s son loves school, every year Moshe tells me all about how his son is top of his class and on track to be a real doctor, just like Moshe.” Trina moved on to selecting her jewelry, nodding along absently with her husband. “And if I have to hear one more time about how Reuben’s wife is-“

“Mendel, honey, you need to get ready,” Trina interjected, cutting off her husband’s rambling.

Mendel nodded, kissed Trina on the cheek, and moved to his part of the closet to grab his suit.

This was the other reason Trina was dreading the party — Mendel got so worked up around his family. She couldn’t blame him; Reuben the rabbi, Moshe the doctor, and Shlomo the lawyer left little room for Mendel the psychiatrist. Not to mention that all three of the older Weisenbachfeld boys married early and had children, providing the family matriarch with grandkids to fawn over while Mendel worked long hours at his office and avoided visiting his parents on Long Island. Trina understood, yet the part of her that was still raw off of her marriage to Marvin wished that Mendel didn’t feel the need to show her and Jason off as if they were prizes he won instead of a woman and child he loved. And Trina knew logically that Mendel loved her and that the last seven months of their marriage had been happier than she could have imagined but yet, that voice in the back of her head wouldn’t stop wondering when that would end, and Mendel’s griping about his family only made the voice louder.

Looking over and realizing that Mendel was already dressed and moving downstairs, Trina pushed her thoughts aside and went to put her dress on and finish getting ready. 

* * *

 

“You look stunning sweetheart,” Mendel said when she came down to join him.

“And you look handsome as ever,” Trina replied.

“Everyone there is going to wish they were as lucky as I am. Especially Shlomo, his wife-”

Trina sighed, hoping she could hide her exasperation as urgency to get out the door and not be late.

“What’s wrong?” Mendel asked.

“Nothing honey,” Trina replied, forcing a smile on her face.

“I know that look.” Trina forced the smile wider,

“It’s fine Mendel, really, let’s go so we’re not late.”

“Trina, I-“ Mendel paused to collect his thoughts, “I know I’m new to this marriage thing, but I’ve been a psychiatrist for a while. It’s my job to know it’s not nothing.”

“Do you love me?” Trina asked.

“Yes,” Mendel answered immediately and resolutely.

“Do you _really_ love me?”

“ _Yes_. What brought this on?” Mendel asked, sitting down at the table and crossing his legs as if they were in his office instead of their home. Trina followed suit and sat across from him.

“Well, whenever we go with your family you act like, well, like I’m an achievement of yours, like your medical degree, instead of your wife. It reminds me of Marvin, quite frankly, and-“

Mendel cut her off by moving into the seat next to her and grabbing her hands, “Trina I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”

Trina smiled lightly, “It’s alright honey, let’s just go and-“

Mendel cut her off again by leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers in a long kiss. “I love you Trina, and I love our life, and it doesn’t matter how that compares to Reuben or Moshe or Shlomo or whoever else. Including Marvin,” Mendel said pointedly, thinking back to Trina’s slightly spiteful happiness at the dissolution of Marvin’s relationship with Whizzer.

“Right. Shall we go then?”

“Nope,” Mendel answered, “I think I should show you how much I love you first.”

And with that Mendel grabbed Trina’s hand and pulled her back up the stairs.

Trina and Mendel arrived to the Weisenbachfeld Hanukkah party an hour and a half late looking slightly more disheveled, but also happier, than anyone else in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "farpitzs" (Yiddish) - to get dressed up


	3. gather round the table (Marvin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night 3: Marvin is feeling lonely for his first Hanukkah alone, until he gets some unexpected company from next door.

Jason was back to his mother’s for the week, and Marvin’s apartment was quiet as the sun began to set on the third night of Hanukkah.  Marvin was relieved he got to spend the first two nights of Hanukkah with Jason and they spent it eating food from the deli up the street and exchanging gifts.  Marvin wished he could have his son for the entirety of the holiday, even though Hanukkah wasn’t a particularly important Jewish holiday.  The apartment always seemed emptier after Jason left, but tonight with the menorah out it felt more hollow than ever, which made Marvin think of the other person he wishes he could spend the holiday with.  Marvin could see Whizzer striding across the room to light the candles and smiling cockily at Marvin, while Marvin smirked back at Whizzer when he faltered over the prayers, until Whizzer would hit him lightly and thrust a hastily wrapped present at him.  Marvin had seen the camera he would’ve gotten Whizzer in the window the other day, one to replace the old polaroid camera Whizzer used to take his personal photos.  Marvin had ruined any chances he with Whizzer months ago though, so now he set about lighting the candles on his own.  He’d just finished the prayers when he heard a knock on the door.  
  
“Marvin, is that you?”At the familiar voice Marvin went to open the door and found himself face to face with his peppy blonde neighbor.  
  
“Marvin!”

“Hello Cordelia,” Marvin responded dryly.  Ever since Cordelia learned that Marvin had moved to their building after breaking up with his _boy_ friend, she had been trying desperately to befriend Marvin, going so far as befriending Jason behind his back until Marvin got roped into dinner at her and her girlfriend Charlotte’s apartment.  
  
“I heard you saying the prayers and thought you’d like to join Charlotte and I for dinner. There’s plenty of food.”  
  
“Jason’s not here,” Marvin answered.  
  
“I know that! But it’s Hanukkah, and you shouldn’t be alone on the holidays.”  
  
“You know Hanukkah isn’t actually that big of a deal for Jews right? It’s become this whole big thing because it’s close to Christmas so it’s easily marketable.”  
  
Cordelia’s smile faltered slightly at Marvin’s condescending tone but she continued, “So come over to eat some good food.  I’m not sure what else you’re going to eat; I can smell your leftovers burning in the oven.”  
  
Marvin jumped and ran over to the oven where, sure enough, he was left with a blackened lump that used to be food.  
  
“See? It’ll be fun! Plus, we have a gift for you and you have to come over to get it.”  
  
“You got me a gift?” Marvin asked, shock overtaking the annoyance on his face.  
  
“Well of course we did, we’re friends aren’t we? We have one for Jason too, but I figured we could give it to him when he’s back next week at the end of Hanukkah.”  
  
“Right, yeah, of course.”  
  
“So, are you coming?”  
“Do I have a choice?” Marvin asked.  
  
“Nope!” Cordelia replied, flitting back over to her apartment and leaving the door open for Marvin to follow.  
  
“I see Cordelia convinced you to come over,” Charlotte said upon Marvin’s entrance, looking up from her magazine.  
  
“That she did.”  
  
“Good,” Charlotte answered, gesturing to Marvin to sit across from her at the table already filled with food.  
  
“Charlotte and I just got back from Charlotte’s parents for the weekend, otherwise we would have invited you and Jason over this weekend to celebrate Hanukkah, you know that right?” Cordelia said, coming in from the kitchen with the last plate and sitting down.  
  
“Right,” Marvin answered hesitantly.  
  
“You’ll both come over next week though.  Friday is the last night of Hanukkah, and I thought I’d make dinner and the four of us could celebrate.”  
  
“That’s fine.”  
  
Cordelia beamed at Charlotte, who quietly marveled at how quickly Marvin agreed to dinner.  Usually Marvin took a week of convincing, plus some begging from Jason, to join them at their apartment.  Perhaps Cordelia had, as she promised Charlotte she would, started to break through Marvin’s shell.

Marvin spent the evening listening to Charlotte and Cordelia talk about their weekend at Charlotte’s parents, and about their plans for New Year’s, and about their life in general.  And, remarkably, Marvin found himself actually enjoying the conversation.  It was comfortable in a way conversation with no one but Whizzer had ever been, and even with Whizzer it was mostly snarky remarks instead of actual talking.

“Before you go, we have a gift for you!” Cordelia said reaching into a cabinet and pulling out a wrapped box.

“I don’t have anything for you,” Marvin replied, not moving to take the gift.

“We don’t need anything,” Charlotte answered, placing the gift into Marvin’s hands.

Marvin opened it slowly and found a giant throw blanket inside that perfectly matched the interior of his apartment.

“You haven’t lived here in the winter yet, and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but the building gets cold in the winter,” Charlotte explained.

“And we didn’t see any blankets when we were in your apartment.”

“Trina has them all,” Marvin said, “Thank you.”

“Happy Hanukkah, Marvin. I’m going to start cleaning up, and we’ll see you next week, no backing out,” Cordelia said grabbing one of the dirty plates and taking it to the kitchen.

“I better go help her. I’m glad Cordelia convinced you to come over,” Charlotte said as she walked Marvin to the door.

“Me too,” Marvin answered truthfully.

“We’ll see you and Jason next week right?”

Marvin nodded.

“Good, and happy Hanukkah Marvin.”

“You too,” Marvin answered, closing the door and entering his apartment, which felt slightly less empty than before knowing that he had friends next door.


	4. we'll give you a treat (Whizzer)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night 4: Whizzer has a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short, and a day late, Jason should be up later tonight.

Whizzer had honestly forgotten it was Hanukkah until one of his clients called asking if they could move up their photo session by an hour so that they could be sure to get home before sundown to light the candles.

“I tried to tell the kids it wasn’t a big deal if we light the candles a little later, but they insisted, it had to be at sunset, you know how it is?”

“Right, sure,” Whizzer replied, absently doodling in the corner of his calendar.

“So we’ll see you at 3:30 then? That will give you plenty of time to get home and celebrate with your family as well I hope.”

“Uh-huh, see you then.” Whizzer hung up the phone and stared at his new calendar, now with an giant blank from 4:30 on.

If Whizzer had known he would have scheduled another appointment for the day or something, because, unlike Mr. Rosen assumed, Whizzer had no reason to rush home for the holiday. And Whizzer was fine with that, he was. It wasn’t like he would want to celebrate with Marvin, that’s for sure. Marvin with his quick temper and snark, Marvin with the steady income and warm bed. There was no reason for Whizzer to wish his life any different than it was now, where he was free of the constraints of relationships and responsibilities.

After Whizzer had finished up his photo session with the Rosens he headed back towards his small apartment where he’d eat the pasta dish he’d been eating all week and hope that the landlord hadn't flipped the heat off again. For a moment Whizzer considered going to one of the bars on the other side of town for something to do, to maybe find somewhere nice to spend the night, but the thought of spending the holidays in a stranger’s bed made Whizzer uneasy in a way he couldn’t quite describe so he kept heading towards home.

Whizzer stopped his commute though when he noticed a short kid with brown hair watching a TV through the corner store window. He hesitantly walked up to the kid by pretending to be interested in what was on the screen before discreetly looking over to find a boy who was definitely not Jason. Whizzer couldn’t believe how quickly his heart dropped, and realized with a pang how much he missed the kid who had been a part of his life for the past few years. Even though Jason should’ve hated Whizzer by all accounts, and Whizzer should’ve been annoyed by Jason, they had found an odd friendship, and Whizzer was struck with how much he wanted to see Jason and hear about his life — even if it meant tolerating Marvin (a feeling he was sure Trina was often struck with).

With this realization in mind, Whizzer immediately decided what he wanted to do to celebrate Hanukkah. He quickly counted up his cash and ran to the nearest store, getting there just before it closed to buy the perfect gift. He knew this meant another two weeks of just rice for dinner, but Whizzer also knew it was worth it for Jason.

It was then that Whizzer realized he had no way to actually get the gift to Jason. He knew that Marvin had moved out of their apartment (and also had a feeling that Marvin might throw out anything with Whizzer’s handwriting on it), and he had never gone to Trina and Mendel’s new place. Except…Whizzer suddenly remembered something one of the other photographers who used the studio said and raced back to go through his records. Although he knew he would be in major trouble if he was caught, Whizzer didn’t care as he searched until he got to the W section, where the records for Trina and Mendel Weisenbachfeld’s wedding photographer were, with the happy couple’s address written prominently on top. Whizzer grabbed some paper and wrote out a note for Jason, wrapped the gift in some newspaper and a box he found in the recycling, put the address on top, and went to deliver it by hand, to be sure it got to Jason in time.

By the time he got to Mendel and Trina’s house across town it was close to midnight, and Whizzer didn’t think their reception of him would be warm enough to risk ringing the bell, so he set the gift on the front door and left.


	5. sevivonim to play with (Jason)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night 5: Jason gets a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, sorry.

Jason hated Hanukkah.  His parents always argued for weeks beforehand about what to get him, thinking that he couldn’t hear them through the walls, leaving Jason to open gifts he already knew about and watching one parent seethe at the other that their idea wasn’t selected.  This year, Hanukkah was just drawn out as he celebrated first with Marvin and his forced cheerfulness, then with Mendel and Trina’s attempt to blend all their traditions into an overstuffed night of dreidel, latkes, and gelt that left Jason mostly exhausted and wishing that the holiday was over.  The fifth night of Hanukkah had finally arrived, and the end was in sight when Jason got home from school on Thursday.

“Jason, sweetheart is that you?” Trina called out from the kitchen.

“Yes Mom.”

“Something arrived for you in the mail, I left it in your room.  
  
Jason walked into the kitchen to greet his mother, “Is it from Grandma and Grandpa?”

“I don’t think so, the handwriting looked familiar but I couldn’t place it. Maybe it’s from Mendel’s parents?”

“You already gave me their gift.”

“Right, maybe it’s from one of Mendel’s brothers then. Or one of your dad’s relatives.”

“Dad doesn’t have any relatives that like him enough to send a gift. And why would they send it here?”

“Well you won’t know until you look will you?” Trina asked and Jason grabbed a snack before he made his way upstairs.

While Trina hadn’t quite recognized the handwriting on the package, Jason knew who it belonged to immediately and ripped open the box, much more excited than he had been before about the mystery gift.  On top there was a piece of paper, with a note:

_Jason,_

_Happy Hanukkah!! I hope your parents aren’t giving you too much trouble over the holidays.  I saw this in the store and thought of you. I know you’re not much into sports, but you’ve always been great at games and baseball is one of the best games out there in my opinion (although I know nothing will ever be better than chess for you)._

_I’m not sure what your parents told you about your dad and I’s situation, but I put my card in here in case you ever want to reach me, it’d be great to hear about how things have been (by the way — did you ever pass that math test? Or finish that awful looking book?) If you hate me or never want to see me again that’s fine too, either way I hope you enjoy the gift._

_Happy Hanukkah kid._

_-Whizzer_

Jason tore back the newspaper to find a baseball mitt clutching a card with a phone number for ‘Whizzer Brown, photographer.’  Immediately Jason tucked away the mitt before putting the card in a safe place so that he wouldn’t lose it before he got the chance to call Whizzer.  As Trina called Jason down to light the candles, Jason realized that maybe Hanukkah wasn’t so bad after all.


	6. and latkes to eat (Charlotte)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night 6: Charlotte gets a visitor at work.

Charlotte always ended up working at least one night of Hanukkah. It was inevitable, since the only way for her to get eight straight nights off would be for Charlotte to take the week off.  As it was, she’d already taken Friday off to go to her parent’s house for the weekend, and Charlotte figured that helping people as a doctor was an appropriate way to celebrate the holiday, it felt in line with how she viewed her religion.  Still though, as the sun set outside the hospital window Charlotte couldn’t help but wish she was home with Cordelia lighting the candles.  Charlotte reached up to touch the earrings Cordelia had gotten her for the first night; a pair she had been eyeing but didn’t think she needed enough to buy for herself.

“Hey doc, the patient in 305 is asking for you,” one of the orderlies said, interrupting Charlotte’s thoughts.

“Be right there, thanks.”

With that Charlotte pushed aside any thoughts of the holidays and her partner at home and switched into full doctor mode, until she finished with the patient and began leaving the room.

“Dr. DuBois? There’s someone here to see you in your office,” one of the new nurses said timidly, stopping Charlotte as closed up the patient’s chart.

“Who is it?”

“One of your patients maybe? I’m not quite sure, there was no record on the visitor log and-“

“That’s fine, thanks Sally,” Charlotte replied snapping the chart closed and making her way to her office.   When she got there she could see a halo of blonde hair sitting in her chair through the windows.

“I heard I had a visitor,” Charlotte said, entering her office and closing the door with a chuckle.

“There you are! I told one of the nurses to see where my doctor was, but she just seemed a bit confused.”

“Sally, she’s new.”

Cordelia nodded, “So how’s your day at the hospital been?”

Charlotte collapsed into the chair facing Cordelia, the one her patients usually sat in, “You don’t usually come to see me at work.”

“Well, no, but it’s Hanukkah, so I wanted to bring you a gift,” Cordelia said brightly, pulling out a giant Tupperware of food with a bow on top from under Charlotte’s desk, “Surprise!”

“Cordelia-“

“I know, I know, I should be more careful when I visit, but I didn’t know when you’d be home and you deserve a good meal.”

“Thank you hun.”

Cordelia smiled, “You’re welcome, now eat, you look exhausted.”

Charlotte opened up the Tupperware to find a heaping pile of latkes, with some vegetables on the side.

“From the bow I take it this is my gift.”

“I spent all day making it for you, so yes.”

Charlotte took a bite of a latke and smiled, “It’s great, I love it, I love you.”

“I love you too.  When does my doctor have to get back to work?”

“Probably now. But, they can wait a moment for you.”

If possible, Cordelia’s smile grew wider, “Good, then, let me tell you about the plan for Friday night with Marvin and Jason.”

Cordelia rambled about the menu and how she planned to ensure Marvin actually showed up, and Charlotte listened, happy to have a moment with the woman she loved.  Growing up, Charlotte never thought she’d have this, never thought she’d reach this point. She always thought she’d have to trade her career for her love life or vice versa, but now she was here, with Cordelia in her office at the hospital and-  
“What’s with the face?” Cordelia asked cutting off her train of thought, “Is that too much of a gift for Jason? I mean I know we just met the kid this year but I feel like we’ve really bonded and I want to-“

“I’m just glad you’re here,” Charlotte answered.

“Me too,” Cordelia said with a smile, “So as I was saying…”

And in that moment, Charlotte couldn’t think of anywhere she’d rather be spending the holiday.

 


	7. the candles are burning low (Cordelia)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night 7/8: We're skipping to the 8th night for story purposes; Cordelia's mission is a success (Marvin and Jason come over for dinner).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so this might actually be the last chapter....I was originally going to write an epilogue of some kind but I'm not sure if that's going to happen.
> 
> This is longer though to make up for the shortness of the last few!

Cordelia had decided from the moment she saw Marvin moving into the apartment next to them that she was going to befriend him.  There was something about his look that she recognized from when she had first moved to New York, heartbroken after the end of her first real relationship.   Charlotte didn’t see why they needed to be friends with the new neighbor at first, but Cordelia had a feeling about Marvin, so Charlotte went along with it.  Then they met Jason, and Charlotte’s interest was piqued about their new divorced neighbor.  Then they met one of Marvin’s late night hookups in the hallway and Cordelia knew she was right about her hunch that they were destined to be friends with the guy next door.

If only their surly new neighbor would agree.

Cordelia had tried every trick in the book and he wouldn’t budge from polite to friendly, so she turned to Jason and found a smart kid who was just as eager to be friends as she was.  And thus Cordelia had her in to invite Marvin to dinner, and for weeks Jason would drag Marvin to dinner next door, or Marvin would make an excuse and send Jason on his own.  She was encouraged by the fact that Marvin came to dinner alone on Sunday night though, and felt that tonight was the final thing to cement their friendship.

“I hope Marvin doesn’t try to bail again,” Cordelia said as her and Charlotte got ready for their guests.

“He won’t.”

“I just really think we’d all get along well, you know? And he seems so lonely, especially when Jason’s gone.”

“I know.”

“You don’t think I’m trying too hard to befriend him, right?”

“Maybe at first.”

Cordelia chuckled, “Ok, but what are the chances of a gay man moving next door?”

“Well this building is known for being discreet.”

“Plus he’s Jewish! And he has a great kid. I mean really, it’s like he was made to be our new friend.”

“He’s a bit of a grouch.”

“There’s no need to nitpick. And we can fix grouchiness. He just needs some friends.”

“I love you,” Charlotte said.

“I love you too,” Cordelia responded, pecking Charlotte on the cheek as she moved to put the food on the table.

With that, someone knocked on the door.

“Welcome!” Cordelia said as she opened the door.

“Thanks Cordelia,” Jason said with a smile, holding a giant box in his arms.

“Here,” Marvin said, thrusting a bottle of wine at Cordelia.

“Well let’s crack this open and start our evening, Charlotte, can you grab the corkscrew? And Jason, you can set that over there by the TV.”

They moved to the table and sat as Charlotte poured wine for the adults.

“So, Jason, have you gotten anything good for Hanukkah this year?” Cordelia asked when she sat down.

“Dad got me an Atari for his apartment.”

Marvin smiled happily at the recognition of his gift and took a bite of his chicken, “The food is good Cordelia.”

“Thank you,” Cordelia replied with a grin.

From there the conversation flowed easily, much to Cordelia’s delight, and they continued to chat about their weeks and lives.

“Hey, you two like baseball, right?” Jason asked.

“Love it,” “It’s the best,” Charlotte and Cordelia replied in tandem.

“Could you teach me a little bit about it? Mendel turns it on sometimes and I don’t really get it.”

The two quickly launched into an explanation of baseball that occupied the rest of the evening, until it was almost time for Marvin and Jason to leave.

“Time for gifts!” Cordelia said, grabbing Jason’s present from the kitchen.

“We already gave your dad his gift last week,” Charlotte explained to Jason.

“I know. He showed me, it’s on the couch,” Jason replied.

“Well I’m glad you like it Marvin,” Cordelia said, “And here you go, Jason.”

“Jason, do you want to go get Charlotte and Cordelia’s gift and give it to them?” Marvin asked.

Jason nodded and went back into the other room to get Charlotte and Cordelia’s gift before handing it to them.

“Happy Hanukkah,” Jason said.

Cordelia opened the gift and pulled out a large, empty frame.

“Jason picked it,” Marvin said quickly, noting a hint of confusion on Charlotte and Cordelia’s faces.

“I thought you guys could hang up some photos, I didn’t really see any, and that was one of the first thing Mom did after her and Mendel moved to the new house, hang a bunch of photos of all of us.”

Marvin squirmed a bit at the mention of Trina and Mendel, but Cordelia and Charlotte simply smiled widely at Jason.

“Thank you Jason, I think that’s a great idea,” Charlotte said, “Maybe you can help us pick a photo to put in the frame?”

Jason nodded and Charlotte and Cordelia passed his gift to him.  Jason tore back the wrapping eagerly to find a stereo.

“This way you can listen to music whenever you want without your parents around,” Cordelia explained.

“Wow,” Jason said, looking eagerly at the instruction manual for the stereo.

“Jason,” Marvin intoned, nudging Jason out of his reverie.

“Thank you,” Jason said before flipping back to the manual.

“It’s getting late, we should probably get home,” Marvin said, “Thank you again for dinner, and Jason’s gift.”

“Of course,” Charlotte said, opening the door for Marvin and Jason.

“We’ll see you next week?” Cordelia asked eagerly.

“Well…” Marvin began.

“Excellent!” Cordelia cut in before he could finish, closing the door before Marvin could answer.

They could hear Marvin grumbling from the other side, but Jason’s excitement seem to quiet him quickly.

“Well, I’d call the night a success,” Cordelia beamed.

“I think Marvin might actually be our friend now, which is some kind of Hanukkah miracle.”

“It just took a little persistence.”

Charlotte walked over to the table and picked up the giant frame from Jason, “Maybe we should put that picture from our day in the park in here.”

Cordelia walked over and put her head on Charlotte’s shoulder, “I love that picture.”

“You know, now that Hanukkah’s over…”

“You’ll have my Christmas list Monday morning.”

“I’d say it’s been a pretty successful Hanukkah though, wouldn’t you?”

“One for the books. We even had a nice weekend with your parents.”

“Only three of my relatives asked why I brought my Christian roommate home for Hanukkah.”

“I think that’s a new record,” Cordelia said, “And next year it’ll be even fewer people until they’re so used to me they don’t even notice I’m there.”

Charlotte nodded and Cordelia turned around so they were facing each other.

“You know, I think you’re entitled to one more Hanukkah gift,” Cordelia said.

“Nope, I have everything I could need right here.”

Cordelia leaned over and flipped on the radio, turning the dials until she found an appropriate song, “Dance with me?”

Charlotte grinned and the two danced around their living room to celebrate another holiday well-spent and to look forward to the ones to come.

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found on tumblr at jasonsbarmitzvah, please comment/leave kudos if you enjoy!


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